Reflection - Through Hades & Back
by Writing1sLife
Summary: In the aftermath of the battle in the Void, something remains where it shouldn't. What keeps it alive? Memories. These memories also hold the key to its next choice.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beginnings and Power

(The Void)

The location was the polar opposite of our own positive universe. It was a place devoid of light as humans or other species perceived it. And ever since a terrific, near creation-shattering battle, the Void had become even darker and all manner of illumination had gone dark. In the midst of the darkness hovered a solitary light that, by virtue of its existence, pushed back the shadows but nothing was there to be seen. The conflict between shadows and light had left nothing but utter darkness throughout the entirety of the Void for the will that had molded and shaped it was no more and so a great absence existed, one that might be incapable of ever being healed.

The light had a familiar shape to it. It was human in form yet currently it was curled into a fetal position. It was not pain but rather a reflex of the source to preserve itself. Inside the brilliant sphere of light it projected, the consciousness of the source swirled and coalesced like oil in water or vapors forming into a cloud. The mind was in a state of absence or rather submerged so deep that it might never return. Then, like a spark of fire from a lit match in a dark room, a thought surfaced. This brought about reflection and a trail of thought. The being latched on to it and followed it to the source, a name: Kerrigan; Sarah Louise Kerrigan.

. . . . . . .

Born into a space sector engulfed in war, she had been taken without her consent into a program for "gifted" children like her. Lies, all of it. In truth it was program designed to mold the young and innocent into living weapons as adults; incapable of pity or love, merely following orders and killing without a second thought, those were the end goals. The gift many had was that they were psionic in nature, that is, they had highly advanced mental capacities that manifested in the forms of mind reading and telekinesis for starters. Power was highly sought and she had it in abundance, for when she was but a child they had to adjust the scales they used to measure the potential of their conscripts for she surpassed them. Instantly, the race was on in the minds of multiple military individuals each seeking to be the first to take advantage of her. As a child she learned all-too-quickly how to kill. Ironically, she would also become scared of her own power due to hurting some of her family without meaning to. Her own family was not safe from harm; she killed to protect them, but all the power she possessed was not enough to save them in the end. She passed her exams and became a powerful agent of the Confederacy who ruled the Kropulu sector at the time, but lacked an identity to call her own. Throughout her young life, always, she was looking from the inside out. She never got the chance to grow up. _"From this day forward, all that you know ends. You exist for but one purpose, to serve the greater good and the higher powers. Know your place, know that you are nothing more than a tool, an extension of the engine that drives progress. You will fight, you will kill, you shall have no questions whatsoever. When you are told to act, you shall act. Live to serve, that is all."_

Her mind was violently torn into in order to prevent her from threatening her controllers so great was her power. Neural implants, conditioning, abuse, bound in chains to cage the beast within lest it turn on them. Her life was not her own to live, and so with time she quickly became withdrawn from the world and introverted. She existed inside a small world that was overshadowed by the oppression of men and woman who only sought her for what she could do for them, not because she was a person willing to serve in any capacity of her own will. One of the more impacting actions on her part, was the assassination of the family of a man considered a radical fascist who threatened the existence of the government. The same man would actually end up rescuing her from the Confederacy in the end and request her aid in toppling the government for he had discovered certain dark secrets; furthermore, the government was abandoning worlds threatened by the alien menace known as the Zerg. She had power, and now she could do something positive with it, make a real difference. Her courage and daring, her qualities as a tactician, they served her and her benefactor very well as his lieutenant.

Still, some animosity simmered beneath the surface of Arcturus Mengsk, who desired revenge for the death of his family. Never the less, he spared her because she had proven herself to be quite valuable. She was grateful and loyal to him, partly because he had freed her from a number of the inhibitors that compromised her mental faculties and hindered her mind's natural functions. As she slowly began to heal, she became acquainted with a former Colonial Marshal by the name of James Raynor. The introductory meeting went less than smoothly. The man's thoughts were not necessarily pretty, and he had little liking for telepaths, a small side effect of the government's actions and usage of Ghosts for less than savory deeds. Still, they made a rather good impression for two people who could have cared less about each other initially. She could not help but admire his inner strength. He had no real power apart from his courage, his physical and inner strength, and the desire to do right. Something within her stirred at this. He was a rebel just like her, and yet unlike her, for he was not broken. They both had Arcturus to thank for their freedom, yet she still had not established herself in any form, she did not really know who she was or wanted to be, she had no desires to be anything really. Still in the end, she rejected him because it was a forbidden thing that would interfere with her performance. There was no room for error.

Then, she was asked by Arcturus to essentially kill a world in order to ensure the survival of the Sons of Korhal. Something within her blanched at the thought of such wholesale slaughter at the hands of the Zerg. The Psi Emitter she was to use would ensure that no one got out alive since they would be desperately fighting, and by the time they attempted to flee it would already be too late; but it wouldn't stop there, oh no, it would not stop until the entire world was overrun completely. She pleaded at the end for Arcturus to never use the devices again but he indifferently stated that he would do whatever it took to accomplish the job. For the first time since her "rescue" as it were, Kerrigan had doubts about her savior. With nowhere to go and no one else to turn to she went to James Raynor.

"So," said the rugged and tall man at the table, "you havin' the same feelings as me on this? Something just seems a little out of place here."

She did not have to poke into his head, plus she felt it rude to do so. What to say? Finally, she just opened up with the only thing she knew of: the truth. "I just…condemned an entire world to a terrible fate. I…I have killed before but this is…it's just so big. I know that Arcturus talks about serving the greater good and yet after all that's happened recently, I just, well I'm really having doubts about the purity of the cause."

"Same here," he replied. "Listen," he reached over and placed a hand on hers, "you can believe in me even if you can't in anyone else. I want to do the right thing. The Confederacy is oppressing the people even as it seeks to preserve itself over the lives of those in the line of fire. Something has to be done. But wholesale slaughter that decimates worlds is not the answer. There are solutions far cleaner than using the emitters. Regardless of how this ends, we should not be so determined to achieve victory that we sacrifice our souls in the process."

He sighed and withdrew his hand though Kerrigan actually found the gesture rather comforting. Somewhere inside she felt like crying like a child. She hadn't felt something like that in years. She flinched inwardly at a sudden tug. This man, this former Marshal with a colorful history, genuinely felt sympathy towards her. Stars, but he actually cared. It wasn't just words. Telepathy and her ears, her very heart, couldn't possibly be lying to her. She quietly grabbed his hands and pulled him in close.

She stared into his face. "I don't have very many, er, friends Jim. I know we have been assigned on missions together before, but I think I would feel a little better if you were covering my back. Somehow, I feel safer when your around. Everything just feels complete, right, when you're here."

"I wouldn't mind bein' friends either," he said. "See you here for coffee sometime soon?"

"Sounds nice actually. Deal," she said with a warm genuine smile, the first she had ever given him. He responded with one that made his features all the more handsome.

Time found them paired together for several assignments and successfully completing them. Arcturus took full advantage of their improved relationship and it paid back in spades for all of them. Prisoners freed, equipment retrieved, and little loss of allies or their own troops. Finally, Jim decided to "hang it all", as he put it, and asked her out on a date. The bar was interesting, but the man himself more so. She did not have to use telepathy around him. She found herself knowing him better without it. It was an actual real date. The sort that they had been building to it seemed since they had become close to each other. It was one of the happiest nights she had ever experienced in her life. The drink and food was good, but the friendship more so.

"So," he said standing after the food, bowing to her, one arm behind his back, "may I have this dance?"

"Dance?!" she sputtered with a smile and laughter. "You-you," she wheezed with tears of mirth, "cannot be serious. I can't dance!"

"Well," he said with a smile, "they are playin' a slow song. And I'll let in on a sad truth: neither can I."

"Oh," she said taking his hand, "I am so going to regret this. And the worst/best part is," she continued as they headed for the floor, "I could honestly care less."

Never had she felt such feelings as that night. No mental abilities were needed for any of it. She knew it in her heart, she was in love and this man with her. She could trust him and he her. They had already proven that when they played "hostage" in order to successfully break into a facility. She asked if he trusted her and he said that it "goes without saying. Slap those cuffs on me already. Let's do this."

What a night. One thing lead to another, and it finally started to move towards the great unknown with a kiss. Her first.

The next thing, she finally relented as did he, to what they felt. A night with nothing separating them, surrounded by starlight, and no secrets, fully exposed on both sides so that they found themselves closer than she had ever dreamed. That night she bared completely her fear of her power and the corruption it could bring.

"I promise," said Jim, "should the darkness ever overtake you, I _will_ stop you. You have my word." Then he sighed and quietly whispered what he already had this night as she lay on his chest, "I'm in love with you. So madly in love that it hurts to even think of life without you in it."

"I wonder if Arcturus would do the honor of joining our hands in marriage," she sighed wearily, "bet it'd be wonderful."

He sat up at that and looked at her in the dark. "We may need to be prepared for the coming of a storm bigger than anything the Confederacy's capable of makin' cause that man…he ain't no different from them." She looked long and hard at him. Where was he going with this? "He spouts a good, magnificent speech, but deep down all the 'ideals' he mentions in all honesty are just smokescreens hiding the truth: that he is in all of this for himself. It's about personal gain."

"I suppose you are partially correct," she said slowly, "but I sincerely believe that he can bring about a better future for humanity. He's just caught up in all of this at the moment but I know that he will come around. He just has a lot to think about right now."

"Darlin'," Jim said gravely, "I'm afraid that our 'savior' is a monster. For all we know we're puttin' a dictator on the seat of power." He sighed. "Seen too many men like him. I just have a nasty feelin' about where this can, and will, go."

"Jimmy…he'll come around. You just need a little faith."

"Eh, if you say so." He did not sound entirely convinced.

That was the enormous obstacle in the starship of their lives. Arcturus had saved them both, and yet Jim lacked faith in him. Kerrigan owed him her life. Perhaps, when the time was right, she could ask that the implants be removed entirely, but in a way that she might safely learn control of her full potential. The thought was one at the back of her mind, yet she quickly dismissed it as ridiculous. Why would she ever want power when there were better things? No, best to live a life that was minimally handicapped so as to avoid problems. Besides, right now there was war to win.

Arcturus continued to confound her. In secret he planted emitters on another world in order to subdue it; in this case it was the capital of the Confederacy, Tarsonis. Looking back through her life, she should have suspected something, but ah, loyalty, it blinded her. Instead Tarsonis predictably came under threat from the Zerg and then the Protoss arrived to "cleanse" the world of the invaders. They had arrived early this time with the Terran fleet still around Tarsonis.

The Zerg would finish off the Confederacy but only so long as the Protoss did not interfere. And so, Kerrigan went down to the scene of New Gettysburg and launched an assault on the Protoss. Jim tried to convince her to have him accompany her but she refused. It was a hard struggle, but she was victorious, and then she learned what true betrayal looked like.

The whole scene had played out dramatically. The Zerg had come at their position in vast numbers. Kerrigan and her forces fought back but were overwhelmed until only she remained.

"Uh boys," she called over the intercom, feeling uncommonly desperate, "how 'bout some evac? We're completely in a bind here."

Nothing. She never heard the fateful declaration by the tyrant she had aided and who secretly conspired to end her. "Arcturus? Jim? Can anyone hear me?"

Silence. She was alone. A quick look through her visor. Yes, she was alone…but she would not be for much longer.

The rifle uselessly dropped from hands that wouldn't even raise themselves up to fight. The visor was discarded because there was nothing left to see. She just stood there because all hope was gone. She slowly looked to the heavens wishing to curse the man she had trusted, and beg forgiveness from the one who loved her. Somehow the strength never came. She was empty. Nothing remained but black hollowness. She simply closed her eyes and waited as the sounds of the Zerg came closer and then encircled her. _Jim_. Darkness claimed her. It was the end.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Darkness, Chains, and Blood

(The Void)

Kerrigan hovered in the nothingness that the Void had become in Amon's absence. Her stance inside the field of light shifted slightly, but her eyes did not open. Her mind still functioned upon the essential task of recovering who she was and understanding herself. So great was her power that she could view her life from multiple angles and events, in such fine detail as to experience the thoughts and actions of the people as if she were them. In so doing she redefined who she was with precision and efficiency. It was merely a communion with the universe, not time travel. While she was god-like in appearance and strength unto mortal beings, she was not limitless. Tampering with concepts interwoven in nature was beyond her. Her mind drifted from her natural birth to her first "birth" as it were and how it defined her story, her character thus far.

. . . . . .

She could not see, but she could hear; hear and feel. A mind spoke; it felt vast and overwhelming. " **This one is not for blood spilt, however it is fit for the Swarm. Bring it forth unto me. Much must be done to unleash what is within. The eternal will of the Swarm commands it so.** "

" **You, O Terran, you shall be the doom of mine enemies and the eternal salvation of the Zerg. What shall be born from you shall never be undone. This day, prophecy and fate both shall denied.** "

. . . . . .

" **Abathar. You are needed. The will of the Swarm commands it.** "

"Overmind calls. Important. Is entity of use to Swarm evolution? Prognosis: Terran, weak flesh, little value as biomass, psionic potential…unquantifiable." The Evolutionary creature paused in contemplation. "Psionic potential unprecedented, yet cannot collect. Value for Swarm unknown. Recommend subject capable of adaptation utilities for Swarm evolution. Psionic power cannot acquire."

" **As I, the Overmind, speak, so it shall be. This frail being must be repurposed for the Swarm. It is salvation.** "

"Organism independent of Swarm. Combat potential abysmal. Flesh soft, bones fragile. Only strength is impaired psionic capabilities. Terran creations detected in cerebral organ. Can remove to limited degree. Additional biomass required to spin healing cocoon. Bones fortify, flesh harden, must damage subject in order to weave strands, sequences, into Terran organism. Considerable time and effort necessary. Subjects life imperiled throughout process. Chrysalis will cement changes, heal subject, protect. However, chrysalis will still be exposed, vulnerable. Process will take time to solidify, harden, subject shall be endangered by assault."

" **This prize requires one last gift: free will.** "

"Unwise. Independence of swarm translates unto status of feral Zerg. Threat to Overmind, danger unto itself, recommendation: do not."

" **The will of the Swarm is not to be questioned. It shall be granted limited independence that the Swarm may benefit from that will. It shall be capable of functioning regardless of the state of the swarm. Its independence shall permit it to be immune to enslavement.** "

"As Overmind commands. Spinning sequences and manipulating matter now."

. . . . . .

Hands, many hands, all over her, pulling, tearing, crushing. Pain, unbelievable pain. She could not resist, she could not move, she could not see, she could not hear, but she could _feel_. So much pain. _Help me, someone, anyone help me._ She wanted to die but didn't. She could do nothing. It was indescribable how much it hurt.

Her mind wilted like a flower before a blizzard and shriveled up, yet it didn't cease like it was meant to. Her insides flowed with acid and lava combined, yet she remained whole without ending. Her body burned up with the chilling touch of winter's frostbite, and was consumed from the inside out by the fiery heart of the stars as they went supernova. Poison from a serpent's kiss seemed to fill her at random throughout her body without end. The earth crushed her bones, a thousand tiny mouths stripped her flesh, her blood was continuously emptied by leeches. Her mind cried out in violation at a touch most unbearable. Her soul screamed for release.

Her mind reached for anything, anyone that could end it. _Someone, anyone please help me! SOMEBODY SAVE ME. PLEASE!_

The pain and all of the misery shifted to a foreign sensation of suspension that could not be described without experiencing it. A foreign and violent feeling arose within her. Something inside was fighting for dominance and she could not resist. She screamed in the silence and madness with her mental power, and kept reaching out with invisible arms and cries for aid. Without cease she kept crying out for help. No abuse by anything she had known equaled this. If only someone, something would end it. Blind, deaf, dumb, only able to cry out in the dark; how long, oh but how long? Was this what eternity was? What it felt like?

Then a small sensation came. It was faint but it was a light in the dark. Limbs that were not limbs began to run towards it. Because it was the only thing she was capable of. She felt a presence, and then began to feel a release. The pain began to actually envelope her, embrace her like a lover, to wrap her as if in finest silk. She began to sense something. Freedom. Yes, freedom from all restraint, from all the misery. Freedom from ever being a victim or slave of anything ever again. The cracks began to slowly form. The time of rebirth was at hand and she waited with ecstatic joy. The veil parted; she stepped through without hesitation.

. . . . . .

The chrysalis was at the point of opening. That was unknown to Jim Raynor who had been drawn to Char along with other Terrans. Those sent by Arcturus were sent to investigate the psionic emanations while Jim came believing that it represented a chance to possibly save her. The Zerg repulsed both sides in turn. And then the chrysalis opened.

" **Arise my daughter. Arise…Kerrigan.** "

"By your will, father, I live to serve…Let all who the oppose Overmind feel the wrath of the Swarm."

" **What I have wrought this day shall be the undoing of my enemies! Let none survive.** "

And across that enormous gap on Char, all James Raynor could do was whisper his horror aloud at the sight of her.

She personally assaulted his base of operations alongside the Swarm without mercy revealing how changed she truly was. When the dust and ashes had begun to settle, when the base was ruin and fire, they met in the middle, as the Zerg had cornered Jim, yet retreated to allow her forward to confront him.

"Sarah," he gasped his voice quivering with emotion, "is that really," he swallowed, "you?"

"To a certain extent. You were a fool to come here Jim. You should not be here, and I am much more than the helpless being you once swore to protect."

"But…the dreams. I dreamed that…you were still alive somehow…that you were calling out to me…" He sounded desperate. All he could do was look at her as she walked a little closer, her yellow eyes blazing, the air feeling like it hummed with power around her.

"I was calling out to you. But you're too late and that was then, this is now. Arcturus apparently intended to reclaim me but I don't care for him or anyone now. I am one of the Zerg and I quite like now what I am." She flexed her clawed hands before her, spread her "wings" to the fullest of their horrible extent. "You, cannot possibly begin to imagine just how amazing this feels…"

"So, now what?" He lowered the gun and just stood there. Open and exposed yet still defiant. "You gonna kill me now, huh? That it?"

"Oh," she waved her hand nonchalantly, turning her back and beginning to walk away, "that is certainly within my power. But you are not a threat to me." She continued telepathically. " _Be smart Jim, leave. Leave here now and never, after this day, seek to confront the Zerg again._ "

"Like you're given' me much of a choice." He left, but not without a shudder.

. . . . . .

This was just the beginning for her. A new life, and freedom to be wicked; it was liberating beyond all she had ever experienced before. It came with lessons and frustrations. She began by breaking the chains binding her psionic abilities so that she might explore her potential to the fullest. No more cages, no more bindings, never again would she be controlled by anyone. And yet there were those who still felt they could dictate her actions, those who sought to tell her what her place was. She made mistakes, but she learned and she simply watched; watched as the mighty rose and fell; watched, as the Overmind was slain; watched, as the UED came to the Kropulu sector and took advantage of the chaos for their own ends; watched as the Protoss fell apart from within while trying to preserve their culture, and kept watching, until the time was right to make herself known.

None saw it coming and that was the way she wanted it. With the Overmind dead, she was truly unleashed without any hands holding her in place. The last line of resistance had been cut, but the threat of a new Overmind coming into being was enough to tell her that she must seek the aid of allies to end it. She had been observing the others too long to not see the fatal flaw: the UED was taking advantage of the isolation of each force, and with enough time would stand to sweep away all of them. So, she first went to the Protoss on Shakuras and proposed an alliance after leaving a lingering threat in the minds of the UED. Knowing that distrust would always linger in their minds, Kerrigan secretly moved against their leadership to corrupt them from within by targeting the Matriarch, all the better a plan in case anything unforeseen came up. One of the last members of the Conclave got wind of her but in the ensuing chaos, she was able to silence him, keeping everything intact despite having to leave Shakuras.

A small loss was worth shaking the balance of power in her favor. Careful observance of the UED helped her know that securing the deposed Arcturus alongside Raynor would be the key to gaining a necessary position of strength for her own forces. Time had passed before the Brood War with her tormenting Jim through their psionic link in his dreams. It was a joy to feed him pleasure and then rip it apart in the most brutal of fashion. If only she could do the same to Arcturus, but in the end, it was not necessary. It was all she could do to not laugh at the attitude of Mengsk. He was like a child addicted to candy; without his throne, he was nothing. He simply could not live without it, nor his spirit endure the humiliation. She simply slapped them in the face with the truth. It worked. While she was secretly plotting against them, there was something almost…pleasurable about their joint efforts. She almost felt sorry for them, except that she knew the moment they were in a position of power they would turn on her, this was war after all and in war there is no such thing as true friendship, no trustworthy faces. She had learned that lesson all too well and now she was about to prove she was a student no longer. Too long had she been trod under foot; now it was her turn to rise, but she would not make the mistakes of the others.

Hers would the force to reclaim the throne world of Korhal and it was just so, with Terran and Protoss forces standing with her to aid her forces against the entrenched UED. It was glorious with Mengsk crowing about how it was his again and Kerrigan theatrically giving it to him with her "blessing"; so much drama that inwardly she was laughing at them. She almost hesitated when it came to the next phase of her plan. Perhaps it was the fact that she was doing what another monster before her had done, perhaps it was the fact that they actually trusted her, believed in her, maybe it was some small echo of the desire to actually belong to something, to actually feel accepted. Maybe she was simply tired of all of the fighting.

In the end, she knew that there was no choice but to commit. The bloodbath was as glorious in spectacle as was the dark, gruesome nature of all the destruction. Her betrayal was punctuated by death on two sides with the Zerg proving just how dangerous they could be when the Swarm was a focused blade. Fenix's death sparked such fury from Jim that in many ways felt good because, at long last, there were no more masks or any lies left to tell. Duke was a most formidable foe, but worth it. Killing Mengsk was simply too easy; no, but the death of Duke would inflict a most grievous wound and then she would see how "mighty" he really was. His reaction to the loss of the General was delicious, with him expressing actual shock at being backstabbed. Oh, but she could not help but laugh at him since he had practically written the book on how to betray others and get away with it. It was better in her mind to leave him alive, to have him watch, all of them watch, as the monster they had created rose to power, the monster they had unleashed, and that they live with the fear that they were the reason she existed in the first place and that they could not stop her, even in their dreams. She retreated having won, and yet…some part of her almost felt like weeping. So much death, all by her hands. Was this all she would ever be? A monster? A killing machine? Was this all that the future would hold for her, enemies without end?

It would have been simple enough to let it end right there, but she knew better. There was still the task of securing the Zerg under one mind and to that end she secured the unwilling aid of the Dark Templar, Zeratul in specific, to ensure the death of a new Overmind being born that could wrest control from her. Rather than let her continue to use their Matriarch as leverage against them Zeratul killed her and Kerrigan decided to spitefully allow him to live with the knowledge of his actions. She looked forward to seeing the end result of Zeratul's choice but was given no time, for a combination of fleets under Arcturus, the new Protoss Praetor Artanis, and the remainder of the UED forces, assaulted her army upon Char. She beat all three back, exterminating the UED, and taking great pleasure in Admiral Dugal's bitter suicide. As she stood upon Char, master of all she surveyed, she felt the thrill of conquest and fancied herself untouchable. She could slay them all, or instead give them a reprieve. She chose the latter; regretfully in part, owing to the fact that what was she without enemies but nothing.

Victory; no one had ever told her that it could leave you feeling hollow, empty. And yet the one thing she felt bothered by, in truth, was not fleeting victory but the sensation of being observed. "Observed", may not have even been the best description, but rather a dark unease that intruded upon her mind. She could not help feel as if some grave darkness loomed somewhere beyond in the future. The only thing she felt was a need to prepare for the end, whatever it was. She would die before she would ever surrender no matter how hopeless. Never again, for she was the Queen of Blades.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3: Shadows, Whispers, No Peace, No Forgiveness

(The Void)

Kerrigan's life continued to flash before her eyes. In the midst of the ending of the Brood War she saw what she had originally felt scratching and gnawing away at the back of her mind: Amon's voice. Seeing a threat in her independence, he had begun attempting to influence her. She also saw the noble sacrifices and her second "death" followed by her obtaining of an identity. So much pain and misery all around her and it followed her like a plague. What if she was always the source of such misery? She shook off the thought and resumed looking. Now was not the time to decide her actions yet.

. . . . . . .

" _Friend Raynor, I bring tidings of doom. I have pierced the veil of the future and beheld only…oblivion."_

"… _Yet one spark of hope remains. It goes against all that any of us know or believe but you must do so. Justice calls out for her blood, demands that she pay for her crimes…but she must live. I leave you with a key into my memories. Study it carefully, observe all that is within, see…and believe."_

. . . . . . .

At the end of the war, Kerrigan finally decided to turn her attention inward towards her own forces. Though she had emerged as the dominant power in the sector, she had observed from history and her enemies that it would not remain that way. In war, it was an evolutionary race to see who could find the shortest route to the greatest power; one that could not be duplicated or equaled. The Zerg were an evolutionary race and they were highly adaptable in order to overcome their lack of technology. Kerrigan put the last of the cerebrates out of existence and chose a course of action that she initially objected to in that she created sapient or human-like zerg that had intelligence and reason like homo sapiens. Thus, the Brood Mothers were born to begin the increase and advancement of the existence of the swarm. Where the Overmind ruled through logic and reason, Kerrigan planned to ensure the Swarm's ability to exist without her. Abathar was put to work finding ways to increase the healing abilities of the Zerg and even creating new potent forms like the Roaches and more intelligent infested Terrans. In place of the Defiler, Kerrigan promoted the creation of the Infestors which served in greater functionality particularly with their potent ability to spread infestation and seize control of Terran forces in order to sow chaos and discord.

And in the midst of all her preparations for the future, she continued to feel a kind of unease, as if everything was hopeless. She became pessimistic and fatalistic but was not resigned to just laying down and dying. No, but if it was to be the end, she would go out in glorious blazing defiance to the very end. Amon's influence was strong, but she was not too far removed from him to be directly manipulated or utilized as the Overmind had been. Seeking knowledge of the future, she became aware of prophecy and journeyed unto Ulaan only to be opposed by Zeratul. It was quite amusing how defiant he was.

" _Our petty conflicts mean nothing now. Fitting that we should face oblivion together."_

" _NEVER!" the dark prelate roared in defiance._

In the end, he had become quite determined to believe that there was hope and resisted her even as she hounded him across the world. She had predicted his coming to the planet, but she had underestimated the will of his spirit and how great his refusal was to give up all hope on the future. When last they had been face to face, she had believed that he would have begun to crumble under the weight of his choice with the Matriarch, but he no longer gave any indication of dwelling on it. What did it take? What she did not count on, was just that as she had predicted Zeratul's coming to Ulaan, so had she been followed by another protoss name Praetor Karass who willingly sacrificed himself to permit Zeratul's escape with the fragments of the prophecy.

There was no point in the prophecy in the end. It would only yield little real useful knowledge. Instead Kerrigan found herself aware of a Xenalga device that had been scattered piece by piece across the whole of the Kropulu sector and chose to send the whole of the Swarm in pursuit of them. Terran space suffered from the massive invasion and newfound strength the Zerg had obtained under Kerrigan's vision, yet she was resisted by her former lover James Raynor and his band of rebel's who managed at almost every turn to obtain the critical prizes they raced each other for. Near the end of their race, she conceded defeat to them and quietly retreated to Char, but only because she was aware of the artifact's purpose. Instead, she chose to take the role of the observer, like a spider in its web, and wait. The artifact was a wild card but she must act carefully concerning it.

Ironically, the Terran's brought it to her without hesitation, but only so that they might use it against her. They were not prepared for her. When were they ever anymore? It was actually ridiculous, but it made sense owing unto the fact that a distinguished "general" was leading them on to the primary world she controlled. Their maneuvers meant nothing, their strategies were weak, and their numbers were reduced with contemptuous ease. And yet the defiance and spirit of Jim and his crew helped the army entrench itself and prepare to utilize the device.

Her forces were repulsed by savage defenses despite the overwhelming numbers against them, and so Kerrigan personally assaulted them with physical and psionic might. Yet they beat her back time and again forcing her into a state of desperation as they neared the point of activation. She fought against the invasion, and yet something stirred within her and she told the to not give up. Where did that contradictory statement come from? Some parts of her old self, influenced by the device itself perhaps, reached out and fought for freedom.

And then the world exploded around her and dissolved into nothingness. Her forces were heavily reduced in the surrounding area and as for her…

Arms. Voices. Through the dazed and blurry vision, through partially deaf ears, she was aware of figures approaching her. She was inside somewhere dark. The Hive? All she knew was weakness and exhaustion, the pain leaving her drained and helpless. A pair of hands, a presence, loomed over her, and a voice, far away yet familiar, spoke. Jim? It sounded like…he was talking…to someone. A bang, followed by another. Then she was rising, cradles in limbs of metal, and felt light upon herself as she was moved elsewhere.

"Jim?" she asked weakly.

"I have you." With that, she felt peace settle on her soul. Peace…it had been so very long…she quietly fell asleep.

. . . . . . .

"Jim, I know what I did. I remember. Billions dead...because of me!"

"That was not you. That was the Queen of Blades. What they made you into. You're back to being Sarah again. And we're together now. So just hush, honey."

"It doesn't matter. Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of Blades...you don't understand. Maybe you can never understand. I have always been a destroyer…of things. Anything that I touch, anything I care about...that's why they picked me, Jim. Because I'm a destroyer of things..."

That was the opening of their knowledge of what Sarah was like now. Her humanity had returned though she maintained her dreadlock-like antenna for hair. Surprisingly, Jim had admitted that they actually felt like real skin instead of something else. It was little consolation to her and, at one point, Sarah actually attempted to remove them despite the pain it brought. Why was she still living? It hurt so much now; the way everyone treated her, looked at her, _thought_ about her. Jim's tenderness and compassion was almost unbearable at times. The only thing worse was hearing _his_ voice again: Arcturus. He found their hiding place, ambushed them, sent monsters after her. Her rage exploded and she beat them with psionic fists, tore them apart limb from limb with her mind and anger, scattered their bloody remains about with unconscious, reckless fury. A number of innocents were caught in the crossfire of her wrath. It seemed like there was no escaping what happened around her.

They escaped but it was impossible to escape the fallout of her actions. The Raiders were now terrified of her struggling stability and power. Valerian kept experimenting in hopes of understanding how much of her "Zerg nature" remained or whatever it was he wished to confirm. She began to regain her personality and center of self, but it was all crushed by guilt and a grudge against Arcturus. How was she supposed to live when all that she felt was regret from her actions as that "other" part of herself and a desire for revenge on the man who wanted her dead at all costs?

'Forgive him, forget all of it,' Jim had said. _Jim…I want us to be together. I still love you and I know you do as well but…you don't know it like I do. I cannot be permitted to live in Arcturus' mind. He swore vengeance against the ghost's who took the lives of his family. I'm the last one standing. Even if everything burns down around him, he'll never stop. He can't. It's not just personal revenge…its survival. Mengsk…he is the "wall" between us and will remain there unless we do what we must. What I want…oh Jim…I hope you can understand. This pain…it's the only way. The future…we can't have a future with him in it._

And yet there was also the thought that it was probably best if she had died. What good could possibly come from her still living? Why? Nothing ever good had come from her existence. Everything just wanted her _power_ , not her; they wanted the ability to destroy, all else was secondary. She was not a person, she was thing, an object. The only thing she had to live for was the death of the one person she had trusted and who had casually discarded as one might discard a cigarette or crumpled piece of paper. It wasn't something that was so easy to forget…or forgive. The darkness was all she had to protect herself or give her strength anymore. Out in the light…that was the place you died because you were exposed, vulnerable. Mengsk was the sort of man to ensure that you could never walk in the light again.

She was right in her belief that he would seek them out and try to kill them. The facility was discovered, assaulted, and the only choice left was to kill or be killed. Jim fought with her to get back to his ship in the shuttle bay but were cut off. She fought her way free and found Jim had not joined up with them. She attacked Valerian without hesitation for his lack of determination to get Jim only to be forced by the Dominion fleet to abandon the Hyperion and the rest in order to find and rescue the man she loved. It was all too easy to find a hive cluster with Zerg on the planet Phaethon but what was disturbing was how easily she took control of them. She destroyed the Dominion encampment there with ease and casually ordered the survivors killed only to be reminded of her previous "self".

Where was Jim when she needed him most? He had been correct, there was something very dark inside her. "Jim? Are you listening in on this frequency? Please, please answer me," she whispered to the communications array in the dropship. "Jim please, come in." She quietly whispered her heart to the silence. "I _need_ you right now. I need…need you to hear me…"

A noise. She instantly spun snatching up the assault rifle and caught the source between the eyes: A Zergling. It must have followed her back on to the ship… She kept the barrel aimed steady. The creature gave a small growl but backed down without any fuss.

"…Interrupt your regular news cast to bring you this important news. Notorious rebel James Raynor was captured by Dominion forces in a daring raid, and summarily executed after brief interrogation. The Emperor had this to say…"

Sarah's eyes fixed on the screen in horror. Dead? No. Not possible. Tears of denial filled her eyes as the image of Arcturus filled the screen and his voice filled the ship. "Proud citizens of the Dominion. At long last, our nightmare has been ended. The lawless terrorist James Raynor, is _dead_. With this ending of his life, a new era of peace and freedom comes unto us all."

The rifle fell from Kerrigan's hands. Her hands clenched and emotion swelled like a sun within her. She screamed aloud and her power surged and raged causing the ships cockpit to flash with blinding light and streams and sparks of energy to race along its hull. Loud was her voice, but louder still was Arcturus. "The Protoss have retreated from our Dominon. And the Zerg threat has been removed. Their Swarm is _leaderless_." Kerrigan collapsed on to the floor and curled up into a fetal position with her head resting on knees, tears streaming hot and painful down her face. "In short, We. Have. Won." Kerrigan looked up. The Zergling was standing near her. It stared at her with unflinching eyes. "Our peace and security are assured. Good night my faithful subjects. No more fear shall assault our dreams ever again."

"Mengsk," she whispered coldly like a curse. The Zergling's terrifying face filled her vision and she felt the monster arise within her. Won? So long as anyone lived to oppose him, Mengsk had never won, or ever would. _You actually believe its over? Well, your_ _ **wrong**_ _. Its only beginning…and you will_ _ **pay**_.

The darkness called, and Kerrigan charted the course towards embracing it. It was all that she had left.


End file.
